Dual rotor compressor



Och 1953 s. G. HOUSE ET AL 2,655,309

DUAL ROTOR COMPRESSOR Filed May 1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /5 --5 3INVENTORS S. 6-. Ease 0. K11 l'Z-s BY 'Q M.

ATTORNEYS 06L 1953 s. G. HOUSE ET AL DUAL ROTOR COMPRESSOR 2 SheetsSheet2 Filed May 1, 1950 INVENTORS ATI'ORNEY5 Patented Oct. 13, 1953 DUALROTOR COMPRESSOR Samuel G. House and Oscar K. Hobbs, Abilene, Tex.,asslgnors to J. F. Nevins, Annie Mae Glenn and Christine Glenn Teague,Abilene,

Tex., as trustees Application May 1, 1950, Serial No. 159,324

2 Claims. (01. 230-441) This invention relates to rotary compressors.

An object of this invention is to provide a rotary compressor which isdesigned particularly for use in refrigerant systems for compressing therefrigerant gas and providing the necessary circulation of the gasthrough the system.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved compressorwhich includes a pair of rotors disposed in a pair of cylinders witheach rotor having a spring pressed piston in contact with the cylinderwall. A suction port is provided at a point below the contactingsurfaces of the rotors, and an exhaust port is provided above andlaterally of the contact surfaces of the rotors with the exhaust portnormally closed or covered by one of the rotors for the major portion ofthe rotation thereof so that the gases will be compressed to a maximumdegree before the exhaust port is opened.

A further object of this invention is to provide a compressor whereinintake and exhaust valves have been eliminated.

With the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in thearrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in thedrawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view partly broken away and in section of acompressor constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary inner side elevation of the rotors showing thelatter on the beginning of the suction cycle.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line I-I of Figure4.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I designates generally acompressor housing which is formed of cylinder end walls II and I2 andan intermediate cylinder wall I3 which is formed with a pair ofcommunicating cylinders III and I5. The cylinders I4 and I communicateat their inner portions with each other. A gear housing I6 is carried bythe housing II] projecting from the wall I2 thereof, and a pair of spurgears I! and I8 are mounted on shafts I9 and 20, respectively.

The shaft 20 projects through a packing gland 21 and constitutes thedrive shaft for the rotors. A pair of cylindrical rotors 22 and 23 aredisposed in the cylinders III and I5, respectively, and have a diametersubstantially less than the diameter of the associated cylinder therebyproviding annular gas chambers 24 and 25 which. communicate with eachother at the inner sides of the cylinders I4 and I5. The two rotors 22and 23 are disposed in contacting relation at their inner portions asindicated at 26, and this contacting point forms a dividing wall whichdivides a suction port 2? from an exhaust port 28. The suction port 21is open at all times except as will be hereinafter described so that gasmay be freely drawn into the chambers 24 and 25.

The exhaust port 28 confronts one side of rotor 23 and is normallyclosed during the major portion of the rotary movement of rotor 23. Therotors 22 and 23 have slidable therein radially disposed pistons 29 and30 which are normally held in contact with the wall of the associatedcylinder by means of a bowed spring 3I disposed in a recess 32 formed inthe inner end of the piston. Each piston is formed with a pair ofoppositely extending flanges 33 engaging in a cutout 34 formed in theassociated rotor so as to thereby limit the outward movement of thepiston when the piston is out of contact with the cylinder wall at thetwo points where the cylinders are in communication with each other.Each cylinder is formed with a pair of upwardly convergent flat surfaces35 at a point below the suction port 21 so that the piston when disposedat its outermost position will ride downwardly and inwardly on the flator game surface 35 to thereby prevent any knocking. The rotor 23 isformed with a cutout 36 on the leading side of the piston 30, and rotor22 is formed with a cutout 31 on the trailing side of the piston 29.Piston 29 is adapted to engage in the cutout 36, and piston 30 isadapted to engage in the cutout 31 when the two pistons are movingdownwardly from the exhaust or pressure zone to the suction zone.

In the use and operation of this compressor the intake port 2'! isadapted to be connected to a source of gas supply, and the exhaust port28 is adapted to be connected to a refrigerant system on the pressureside of such system. The drive shaft 20 is connected to a power member,and upon rotation of shaft 20 the two rotors 22 and 23 will rotate inthe direction indicated by the arrows in Figure 2. The leading sides ofthe pistons 29 and 30 constitute the positive pressure side; whereas,the trailing sides of these pistons constitute the negative or suctionside. After the pistons 29 and 30 pass the suction port 21 the gas inthe chambers 24 and 25 will be compressed to a relatively high degreeuntil the cutout 36 of rotor 23 is in substantial registry with exhaustport 28. The gas in both chambers 24 and 25 will be forced outwardlythrough the exhaust port 28 until the piston 30 passes the exhaust port,and the two pistons 29 and 30 move downwardly into the suction zone.

What is claimed is:

1. A valveless compressor comprising a housing formed with a pair ofside-by-side cylinders having open inner sides and communicating attheir sides with each other and having closed end walls, a rotorrotatably mounted in each cylinder between the end walls, said rotorsbeing peripherally contacting and having a diameter substantially lessthan the diameter of the cylinders to provide an annular chamber abouteach rotor, each of said rotors having a smooth peripheral surface andbeing formed with a radially disposed slot opening through the peripherythereof, a piston slidably mounted axially in the slots and radiallyprojecting from the periphery of the rotors, spring means biasing saidpistons outwardly from the rotors into sweeping contact with theinternal walls of the cylinders, means carried by the pistons and rotorslimiting the outward movement of the pistons, each of said rotors havinga 1 peripheral cut-out adjacent its piston, the cutout of one rotorbeing forward of its associated piston and the cut-out of the otherrotor being located rearwardly of its associated piston relative to thedirection of rotation of the rotors so that the pistons engage in thecut-outs as the rotors are rotated, said housing having an intake portopening through one end wall and constantly communicating with saidchambers at one side of the point of contact of said rotors and said oneend wall having an exhaust port at the other side of the point ofcontact of said rotors, one of the rotors lying over the exhaust port soas to close off the latter from communication with the chambers during amajor portion of the cycle of rotation of said one rotor, the cut-out ofsaid one rotor being in registry with said exhaust port during theremaining portion of the cycle of rotation of said one rotor toestablish communication between the exhaust port and the chambers.

2. A valveless compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slots inthe rotors have enlarged inner ends and said means limiting the outwardmovement of. the pistons includes feet on the pistons disposed in saidenlargements, the depth of said enlargements being greater than thethickness of the feet to: give the pistons a limited radial movement.

SAMUEL G. HOUSE. OSCAR K. HOBBS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS"Number Name Date 89,269 Andrew Apr, 27, 1869 165,805 Disston July 20,1875 310,053 Harrington Dec. 30, 1884 363,739 Frost May. 24, 1887883,894 Knowles Apr. 7., 1908 1,294,869 Bump Feb. 18, 191.9 1,407,496Storey Feb. 21, 1922 1,424,312 Leonard -1 Aug. 1, 1922 2,058,817 NortheyOct. 27,, 1936 2,266,820 Smith Dec. 23, 1941 2,460,310 Rathman 1 Feb. 1,1949 2,487,721 Minshall Nov.- 8, 1949 2,504,230 Smith Apr. 18, 19502,511,878 Rathman June 20, 1950 2,578,196 Montelius Dec. 11, 1951FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 316,670 Great. Britain-Complete notaccepted, printed in 1931..

